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State Department of Public Health gets $250,000 to improve beach water quality monitoring

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:16:08 GMT

Funding to help better monitor water quality in Massachusetts has been awarded by the federal government, as the region continues to deal with beach closures due to elevated bacteria levels.Grants from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) totaling $250,000 were recently awarded to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health to help with monitoring and testing efforts.Officials from both agencies marked the new funding with an event at Tenean Beach in Dorchester Friday morning – one of multiple beachfronts where swimming is off limits due to “bacterial exceedance,” according to the DPH.“We are monitoring all of them and every beach closure, we take seriously, and we want to make sure that we are doing what we can to re-test and get those beaches open as quickly as possible,” said Mass Department of Public Health Commissioner Robbie Goldstein.According to the DPH, of the state’s 1,100 beaches, at least 54 public beaches are currently consider...

Sam Bankman-Fried set to learn whether he’ll be jailed for alleged witness tampering

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:16:08 GMT

New York (CNN) — Sam Bankman-Fried, the alleged crypto grifter, is about to learn which of two profoundly divergent paths he’ll take on the road to trial.One path allows him to continue his house arrest in the comfort of his parents’ California home. The other lands him in a jail cell.United States District Judge Lewis Kaplan is expected to rule as early as Friday afternoon on prosecutors’ request to revoke Bankman-Fried’s bail after they accused him of trying to intimidate witnesses in the run-up to his trial.If his bail is revoked, Bankman-Fried will be immediately remanded to a notorious federal detention center in Brooklyn. A former warden at the jail, called the Metropolitan Detention Center, told the New York Times in 2019 that it “was one of the most troubled, if not the most troubled facility in the Bureau of Prisons.”His lawyers have argued against revoking bail, saying they would agree to a gag order that would limit Bankman-Fried’s contact with in...

Man arrested after ‘engaging in threatening conduct’ toward jurors and witnesses in Pittsburgh synagogue shooter trial, prosecutors say

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:16:08 GMT

(CNN) — A West Virginia man was arrested Thursday after “engaging in threatening conduct” towards jurors and government witnesses in the federal trial against the the Pittsburgh synagogue shooter, prosecutors announced.Hardy Carroll Lloyd, 45, has been charged with obstruction of justice, transmitting threats and witness tampering, according to a criminal complaint. Prosecutors described Lloyd as a “self-proclaimed ‘reverend’ of a White supremacy movement,” the US Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of West Virginia said in a statement Thursday.Lloyd is accused of making threatening social media posts, online comments and emails toward the jurors and witnesses in the trial of Robert Bowers, who was sentenced to death last week after he killed 11 worshipers and injured six others at a Pittsburgh synagogue in 2018, prosecutors said.Bowers was found guilty of all 63 federal charges against him, including murder and hate crimes charges, in the shoot...

Orioles activate center fielder Cedric Mullins, recall left-hander Nick Vespi before Mariners series

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:16:08 GMT

Before beginning a series with a hot Seattle Mariners team, the Orioles fortified a few weaknesses in their roster.Baltimore activated center fielder Cedric Mullins from the injured list and recalled left-handed reliever Nick Vespi from Triple-A Norfolk, optioning outfielder Ryan McKenna and right-handed reliever Joey Krehbiel.Mullins was out for nearly a month after aggravating a right groin strain on July 15, having missed 20 games after initially suffering the injury May 29.The 2021 All-Star, batting .259/.347/.454 with nine home runs and 14 steals, appeared in only 16 games for the Orioles across June and July.With both Mullins and Aaron Hicks (left hamstring strain) on the IL, Baltimore has struggled to get production from its center fielders. Having McKenna and rookie Colton Cowser primarily handle the position, Orioles center fielders have hit .163/.250/.209 in 15 games since Hicks went on the IL on July 25, with their collective .459 OPS being the fourth lowest among teams i...

How Costa Rica is leading the way in sustainable tourism

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:16:08 GMT

Juan Antonio (Oso) Oseguera | (TNS) TravelPulseTravel is more than a consumer product; it is a resource and a necessary experience. It is a resource and an occasion for people that allows them to open up to others, meet, understand the world, and know themselves.That is why we will never stop traveling, but we will change how we do it. And it is necessary to take care of the planet. Something that Costa Rica has done well.Costa Rica is one of the most ecological countries on the planet, and for years it has had a concept of travel integrated with nature that has become an emblem of ecotourism. The recovery of the tourism sector involves implementing sustainable models following the Costa Rican example.Sustainability is not only a practice in Costa Rica but a way of life. Responsible tourism is found in every region of the country, permeates government policies even in different administrations, and is embraced by citizens and visitors, making the country one of the most sustainable ...

‘Homecoming’: New book by a ‘Dreamer’ humanizes the journey of undocumented children in US

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:16:08 GMT

Laura Rodríguez Presa | Chicago Tribune (TNS)CHICAGO — Although it was 30 years ago, Margarita Quiñones-Peña still remembers hugging her grandfather goodbye when her pregnant mother took her and her older sister by the hand to make their way to Chicago from Mexico to meet their father.She was 3 years old. Though the memories are blurred, the feeling of leaving the place she knew as home has never faded, she said.She is now 33 and still has not been able to return. Tita, as she was called by her beloved grandfather, is undocumented. She was brought to this country unauthorized as a child. For a long time, she was ashamed of her status and felt powerless, until she eventually realized that thanks to her family’s resilience, they had created a home of their own in Chicago’s Little Village neighborhood, despite all their struggles and sacrifices.“There is nothing to be ashamed of. Rather, be proud of the sacrifices our parents have made and our resilience to succeed despite being undocu...

Quick Fix: Five-spice powder is the star in this simple veggie stir-fry

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:16:08 GMT

Linda Gassenheimer | Tribune News Service (TNS)Five-spice powder gives a pungent, aromatic flavor to stir-fried vegetables. The powder is a mixture of five ground spices usually consisting of cinnamon, cloves, fennel seed, star anise and Szechuan peppercorns. It adds the exciting flavors of Chinese cuisine to this simple vegetarian dinner.The secret to wok cooking at home is to make sure the wok is very hot. The oil should be smoking. Also, when the ingredients are added wait several seconds for the wok to regain its heat before stirring them.Helpful Hints:— You can substitute walnuts, almonds, or pecans for peanuts.— You can find Chinese five-spice powder in the spice section of the market.— You can use angel hair pasta instead of Chinese noodles.Countdown:— Prepare all the ingredients.— Place water for noodles on to boil.— Stir-fry the vegetables and remove to a bowl.— Boil the noodles, drain and add to the wok.— Plate the noodles and add the vegetables on top.Shopping List:To buy...

Can Taylor Swift songs bring Congress together? One LA woman’s quest

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:16:08 GMT

A Taylor Swift fan most of her life, it’s never long after meeting someone for the first time that 21-year-old Los Angeles native Shaadi Ahmadzadeh launches into the question always on her mind: what’s your favorite Swift song?Now the UC Berkeley data science major is turning the passion she can’t stop gushing about into a vehicle for bridging political differences, and even saving lives.On the opening night of the Eras Tour’s six-show stop at SoFi Stadium, Ahmadzadeh celebrated her 21st birthday with friend Marianna Pecora — their first Swift concert.Wearing a “It’s been fun turning 21” shirt — a play on “All Too Well” lyrics — the pair belted out ballads next to strangers, sobbed out their private heartaches along with tens of thousands, danced to exhaustion.“It was just pure artistry and a magical atmosphere,” Ahmadzadeh said. “It was a life-changing, spiritual moment — I literally died and went to heaven and I’m still there.”Swift’s pure, emotionally powerful songwriting and the...

As prices rise, some restaurants see fewer customers

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:16:08 GMT

Alejandro Martinez says sales at his Winter Springs restaurant, Stefano’s Trattoria, aren’t growing like they have since he bought the place in 2014.Since Easter, he said, they are either slightly down year-over-year or only slightly up, depending on the day, not at the 6% to 10% growth he’s seen in the past few years.And while his sales remain higher than in 2019 before the coronavirus pandemic transformed the restaurant industry, more expensive food costs and higher wages for employees have cut into profits. Martinez said after buying the restaurant he didn’t raise his menu prices for five years, but he has had to increase them three times since 2021 to cover higher costs.Restaurants across the country are continuing to raise prices and reporting fewer customers coming in the doors.In the National Restaurant Association’s June restaurant performance index, 57% of operators reported a decline in traffic from last June. This was the third straight month of decline, leading the assoc...

Mayo Clinic Minute: Building a back-to-school routine

Published Thu, 20 Feb 2025 16:16:08 GMT

DeeDee Stiepan | (TNS) Mayo Clinic News NetworkFor many kids, summer is a time to stay up late, sleep in and hang out with friends. Waking up for that first day of a new school year can be a shock if young children, teenagers, parents or caregivers have not come up with a routine.In this Mayo Clinic Minute, Dr. Stephen Whiteside, a Mayo Clinic child psychologist, offers some tips for getting into a back-to-school routine.Transitioning from a laid-back summer schedule to the structure of a new school year doesn’t have to be a rude awakening. Dr. Whiteside says developing routines for morning, bedtime and any other recurring event can make things run more smoothly at home and at school.“Routines are a natural part of life and just very straightforward, provide structure, help kids predict and expect what’s going to happen,” says Dr. Whiteside.One way to help make the transition a little smoother is to give your family time to ease into the new routine.“Ta...